Since Windows 10 launched in July 2015, Microsoft had indicated that current customers with Windows 7 or Windows 8 would be allowed to upgrade for free for a limited time. Microsoft has now announced that the end of the free upgrade period will be the one year anniversary of the operating system, July 29, 2016.

After July 29, the cost to upgrade will be $119 for Win 10 Home and $199 for Win 10 Pro.

There is no requirement to upgrade. Windows 7 will continue to be supported until January 2020. However, now is the time to consider if upgrading your computers is right, while it is still free. The recommendations from tech professionals are mixed. InfoWorld published the 10 reasons you shouldn’t upgrade. ComputerWorld published the 10 reasons to embrace Windows 10. In other words, there is no one right answer.

Here are a few things to consider:

If you are using Windows 8, upgrade to Windows 10. With Win 10 Microsoft kept the good parts of Windows 8 and brought back the missing features (start button) they took away from Win 7. The look and feel is mostly the same with improvements.

If you are using a laptop and have any concerns about data security, upgrade to Win 10 Pro. Win 10 Pro comes with BitLocker Drive Encryption. This means that if your laptop drive is encrypted and it is lost or stolen, someone cannot simply pull the hard-drive and copy your files.

If you are using Microsoft cloud services, such as OneDrive and Office 365, seriously consider upgrading. Windows 10 has significantly more integration to cloud services with easier access.

The key thing, that we should be doing together, is to have a discussion with your Onsite Logic technicians. If you are at all considering this for your computers, let’s discuss backup prior to the upgrade and let’s begin with a non-critical machine to ensure compatibility with your other software, printers and scanners. A little bit of up-front planning is the key to a successful implementation and with the clock now ticking, it is important to begin this planning ASAP.

Since the entire city of Kansas City is decked out today in Royal Blue to celebrate our World Series Champion Royals, and since, according to Wikipedia, Royal blue describes both a bright shade and a dark shade of azure blue, this seemed like the perfect day for a Tech Talk Tuesday on Microsoft Azure.

Microsoft has created two over-arching brand names for their cloud services. Office 365 is the brand that contains all of the cloud based applications such as Word, Excel, Dynamics, Exchange, etc. Azure is the brand name for cloud based infrastructure such as domain servers, application servers, storage, routing, firewalls, etc.

Most of Onsite Logic’s client have servers, however, almost none of our clients started their businesses because they really wanted their own server closet. Just as web hosting and Exchange hosting have taken away the need to own your own web server or Exchange (email) server, Microsoft Azure seeks to do that for the rest of your infrastructure.

The concept is simple. You lease a virtual office network space in the cloud. You connect to a virtual computer in that virtual office which, in turn, is connected to virtual servers, storage, switches, routers, and firewalls. The servers and everything else work just like the servers you might own today, except they are not physically in a little room in your office.

The benefits include everything from less capital expense and less equipment to maintain to the ability to work from any location as if you are sitting in the office from virtually any device (desktop or mobile).

Microsoft Azure is not (yet) the thing for every small business, but for others it makes a lot of sense to have on the radar screen. Next week’s Tech Talk Tuesday will discuss some key questions to help identify if this is something you should consider for your company.

Many of our clients, and members of our own team, spend a lot of time in front of their computer. Katie, the voice of Onsite Logic when you call in, was feeling the strain of the hours she would spend helping coordinate our team of technicians, work with invoices, answer client calls, etc. Even good posture and an ergonomic chair did not overcome the fact that sitting for a long time can be painful.

To help her we purchased a VariDesk. This is a valuable device that sits on the desktop. With spring assisted action, you can raise the height of the monitors, keyboard and mouse so it is perfect for different heights.

It came fully assembled. Place it on the desk and the monitors and keyboard on it and you are all set. We can help order these for you, or they are available through VariDesk.com or on Amazon. If you have questions, feel free to call Katie or anyone at Onsite Logic.

In the spirit of keeping an eye on new technologies that can revolutionize business, this week’s TechTalkTuesday is about Compute Sticks.

This is a very interesting new technology that has been around for a little less than a year. Basically, it is an entire computer in a device only slightly larger than an USB flash drive. It connects to a TV or monitor via the HDMI plug. It includes WiFi to connect to the network, connectivity to a wireless keyboard and mouse, 2GB of RAM, 32GB drive with an MicroSD card slot for expansion storage on the device and it runs the regular Windows 10 operating system. There is even an app so you can use your smartphone or tablet as the keyboard and mouse if you want.

This device is not like a computer, it is a computer, and it costs less than $150.

Obviously we probably aren’t going to replace desktop computers with Compute Sticks, but there are niches where this could be very helpful. Think about digital signage either for customers or for your own staff that can access and run any of your system dashboards or powerpoint or other programs. Think about the conference room TV (or projector) that could now become a fully functional PC. Think about connecting a webcam to the USB port on the Compute Stick and you have a conference room teleconferencing solution. Think about a doctors’ office with a simple monitor in the patient room and the doctor has full access to any of the systems or files on the network. Or a dentists’ office with a monitor above the chair where you can show not only slide shows and videos but digital x-rays, appointment calendars, etc.

If you are interested in learning more about Compute Sticks or other new technologies that might revolutionize your operations, call Onsite Logic. We get excited about finding ways that new technologies can help you achieve and exceed your business goals.

Discussions about the cloud have been going on for several years. However, even though it is a term many use, there also seems to be a lot of confusion about what it actually means, both in terms of trying to define it too narrowly or too nebulously.

In the simplest sense, the cloud is a collection of networking and server infrastructure that is “out there” as opposed to the “in here” like an organization’s local area network. One of the key characteristics of the cloud is that you can’t physically put your hands on it. However, just like clouds, the fact that you can’t touch them does not mean they are not real or have great purpose and value.

Anything you can do on an “in here” network you can do on the “out there” network of the cloud. You can store files and folders and databases. You can run servers and desktop computers. You can launch and run programs/applications and interact with them. You can secure and encrypt and backup and protect things the exact same way you would on an “in here” network.

The two biggest drivers of the cloud are:

You only pay for exactly what you need and use. With a physical network, you make decisions and buy hardware and software based on 5-7 year projections. With cloud networks, you can size the resources (space, servers, processing, memory, etc) up or down in less than 2 hours.

Operation and maintenance are included. I’m yet to meet the business owner who will say they got into business because they really wanted to own a server closet. It has been a necessary component, but, for most owners, not an enjoyable expense or worry.

We’ll have more TechTalkTuesdays over the coming weeks discussing some of the terminology and providers of cloud services. We’ll also be discussing how small businesses are using cloud to improve their operations, expand business and save money.

Over the past few years the price of computer monitors have continued to drop while their quality has risen. At the same time it has become standard on computer towers and laptop docking stations to include 2 video ports and operating system software has built in capacity to manage multiple monitors. Plugging in a second monitor is as easy as, well, plugging in a second monitor.

There are also a number of University studies that show a productivity increase between 29% and 74% from multiple monitor use. Granted, these studies were funded by monitor and computer manufacturers. However, you will be hard pressed to find anyone using multiple monitors who would switch back to a single monitor.

The key to the productivity boost is in the applications that you commonly use. If there is a main program you use, such as a business dashboard or accounting program (Quickbooks) or key website (stock prices) that you use throughout the day, dedicating a monitor to the application significantly reduces the time and effort of maximizing and minimizing windows.

What program that you use throughout your day would it make sense to dedicate a monitor to? If you need assistance, please call Onsite Logic.

Since its release a few weeks ago, 75 million people worldwide have downloaded the free upgrade to Windows 10. If all you do on your computer is surf the web and use Microsoft Office, then you should jump on the bandwagon and upgrade to Windows 10. However, if you use other software, especially business software, our recommendation is to wait.

Overall, we are fans of Windows 10. There are some improvements in look and feel, mostly in the way Microsoft combined the best of Win 7 and 8. Most of the elements we really like, however, are behind the scenes. These include file encryption, better file management, better search and indexing and better system recovery. Through compression the operating system also takes less room and resources.

Microsoft’s system requirements for Windows 10 are the same as Win 7 and 8 so if your machine was compatible before it still is. However, that doesn’t mean other software and hardware manufacturers have jumped on board. For example, the system requirements for Quickbooks 2015 Pro do not officially include Windows 10. Many other business software programs, especially those running on top of databases, do not yet officially support Windows 10. That doesn’t mean they won’t necessarily work, but if there are issues you won’t be able to rely on the software provider for help.

Microsoft has provided a crowd-sourced compatibility center where individuals can indicate their experience with compatibility issues for both hardware and software, but pay attention to the number of votes cast. For example, one video card was listed as compatible because 133 out of 296 voted yes (but the other 163 voted no).

The latest Zero-Day exploit of Internet Explorer, Operation Clandestine Fox, has been in the news and raising questions for many small business owners. In today’s Tech Talk Tuesday we’ll attempt to explain the concerns and actions required and the bigger underlying security patch management need.

Operation Clandestine Fox sounds like the type of thing you would read about in a spy novel because it is. This latest exploit follows a pattern of exploits originating from foreign operatives to gain access to sensitive information that would be beneficial to their government or business interests. In it they plant a compromised flash file onto a website likely to be visited by someone using a computer that has access to information they desire. When they lure the user to the infected page, it uses a vulnerability in Adobe Flash to gain access to a vulnerability in Internet Explorer to download and launch the flash file which then can be used in tandem with other tools to gain access to information available through that computer.

While it may be unlikely that your computer has access to the type of information they are attempting to retrieve, the bigger concern for small business is how other thieves may now use this exploit for other purposes. Microsoft and Adobe are working to release patches to close the vulnerabilities.

So what should you do to protect yourself and your business?

Have a patch management system. While this exploit is in the news, there are hundreds of others that are more relevant to small businesses that have been in the wild and patches are already available. Our Onsite Logic 24/7 service for desktop computers includes remote patch management to keep your computers up-to-date on patches for Windows, Office, Adobe, Oracle, Firefox, Chrome, etc. There are simply too many patches from too many different software companies for most small businesses to do this on their own and ensure it is happening on every company owned computer. That is why we include it in the Onsite Logic 24/7 service plan.

Practice Safe-Computing. Limit your web-surfing to trusted sites. Don’t open links in emails from sources you don’t know. If you run across something suspicious, report it immediately. These common-sense things are the most important steps you can take both at work and at home.

If you have access to classified government information, you should stop using Internet Explorer until a patch is released. If you would like to switch, you can use Firefox, Chrome or Safari. The attack targeted Internet Explorer because it is on every Windows computer. It does not mean vulnerabilities may not exist in other software programs that could be exploited in the future. Regardless of what program you use, the most important step is to ensure it is the most current version with all patches and updates installed.

Accelerate plans to replace Windows XP computers. When Microsoft issues a patch for this vulnerability it will not be available to Win XP computers. The concern here is that other attackers will use these newly publicized vulnerabilities to craft other exploits that could target information you have.

If you have specific questions or would like to discuss patch management for your systems, please call Onsite Logic at 913-851-7483 for a personal consultation.

One of our partners recently sent me an article discussing a 14 year old student’s research project that found businesses and other organizations could save as much 24%-30% in ink expenses by switching to the Garamond typeface, a thinner and ink-saving font. Given that ink costs more per ounce than French perfume, that small change equated to an annual savings of $21,000 for his school district and could equal $136 Million per year by the US Federal Government.

I think Garamond is a fine font, but I think the bigger message is that small savings add up. For most small businesses, the single largest expense is labor and one of the main time wasters for employees is technology that is not running at peek efficiency. The amount of time employees spend messing with and working around inefficient systems is significant and it is also frustrating for the employees.

We have found that Onsite Logic clients who have a regularly scheduled onsite service call, e.g., the afternoon of the third Wednesday of each month, have far fewer computer issues and much happier and productive employees. With a set time, employees can screen shot or post-it note the little issues that come up between scheduled service calls and put them in a centralized place for the technician (example: one client tapes them to the inside of the server closet door). At the appointed time, the technician will convert those items into tickets, prioritize them with you or your manager, and very efficiently work through the issues. Many times these are small issues that would not justify a specific service call, but when combined with others and regular maintenance they can all quickly be resolved.

Instead of focusing on how much it would cost to have a regularly scheduled technician visit, the bigger question is how much would it save in lost productivity, emergency issues and employee morale. There are no long-term contracts required and discounts for prepaid block-time are available. Why not try it for two or three months and see if you can see the difference?

Last week included World Backup Day, a reminder that it is never wise to have only one copy of any important electronic data. But data backup is really only one component toward the real goal of data recovery. The very worse day to test the ability to restore is on the day you need to restore the data.

A Wall Street Journal article on March 31 included these important 3 steps from Jennifer Walzer, CEO of BUMI (Back Up My Info).

Develop a backup AND recovery plan. This primarily involves planning, documentation and organization. What do we need the ability to restore? Where will it be stored? Who has responsibility for maintaining it?

Determine your RTO (Recovery Time Objective). This is different for each business but revolves around the questions of what system access is most critical to ongoing business operations and how long can we survive without it. This drives the tools and strategy. In general, the more you say “everything at once” the more expensive it will be.

Test your plan: According to Walzer, “I’ve been in the industry for 20 years now and I can’t get over how many people say, ‘we have a backup plan, we’re okay,’ but they aren’t testing it to make sure what they think they’re doing will help them get up and running faster.” Things change. People come and go. Applications get updated. If recovery testing is not part of your ongoing technology planning your plan is incomplete.

Because recovery needs vary, Onsite Logic works with a number of different backup tools to fit these different needs. These range from simple data-only backups to fully redundant fail-over systems including the ability to run the business from the cloud in a catastrophic event.

Let our IT consulting team work with your team to help develop your company’s Backup and Recovery Plan. The time to plan is when things are working.